Bottle carrier insert



June 28, 1966 P. J. WOOD BOTTLE CARRIER INSERT Filed June 28, 1965 3 9 b 3 Win 1 l am a a a um i E F l M/LHHHHHHHW 8 T i Q A Q Q 1111 m/ M EEM 1111 I .1- 9 l 4 m m a 5:. 3 4- INVENTOR D 0 o W .J- E K N E R P ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,258,190 BOTTLE CARRIER INSERT Prentice J. Wood, Jonesboro, Ga., assignor to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,374 6 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates to bottle carrier inserts and more particularly to inserts for bottle carriers of the Wrap-around, open-ended, sleeve type.

Known bottle carrier inserts perform satisfactorily as bottle separating cushioning means. Such inserts may be objectionable because they require an excessive amount of material or because they are not well adapted for easy and eflicient machine insertion into the package group during the formation of the package. Furthermore, known inserts have a tendency to shift about relative to the primary items in the package unless unusual precautions are taken to insure that the package including the wrapper, the primary items and the inserts are securely maintained together in a unitary stable relationship.

A principal object of this invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier insert which requires aminirnum of material.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an insert for bottle carriers which is peculiarly adapted to retain its position within the package without undue bodily shifting with respect thereto.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier insert which is specially adapted for insertion by machine into the package group during the formation of the package without interruption of the packaging operation and wherein the package is formed while continuously in motion.

An insert for cushioning bottles arranged in two rows and constructed according to the invention may comprise a main panel adapted for support by the necks of the bottles in one row, a plurality of cushioning tabs foldably joined to one edge of the main panel and disposed medially of the carrier with each cushioning tab disposed between adjacent bottles in diiferentrows, and at least one stabilizing tab foldably joined to said one edge of the main panel and disposed in the space or spaces between adjacent cushioning tabs, the stabilizing tab being arranged to engage the shoulders of a pair of adjacent bottles in the other row of bottles. If desired a plurality of notches may be formed in the main panel along an edge thereof which is opposite from the cushioning and stabilizing tabs, the notches being arranged to receive the necks of the bottles in one row, preferably immediately below the caps of the bottles.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wrapper of a bottle carrier together with an insert constructed according to this invention but with the bottles removed from the carrier; FIG. 2 is a view of the arrangement depicted in FIG. 3 along the line 22 and with the bottles and insert disposed in their normal positions; FIG. 3 is a side view of a carrier with the insert according to this invention disposed in its normal service position with respect to the shoulders of the packaged items such as bottles; FIG. 4 is a wrapper blank from which the external wrapper depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is formed; and in which FIG. 5 is a blank from which the insert as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is formed according to this invention.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the top panel of the wrapper which overlies the caps of the packaged 3,258,196 Patented June 28, 1966 bottles. Finger gripping apertures 2 are formed within the panel 1 in known manner. A pair of sloping panels 3 and 4 are foldably joined along fold lines 5 and 6 respectively to the side edges of top panel 1. Disposed along the fold line 5 are a plurality of slots '7 while similar slots 8 are formed along the fold line 6. Slots 7 and 8 are for receiving the caps of the packaged bottles in known manner. Side walls 9 and 11) are folda bly joined along fold lines 11 and 12 respectively to the lower edges of the sloping panels 3 and 4. Sloping panels 13 and 14 are foldably joined to the bottom edges of side Walls 9 and 1% along fold lines 15 and 16 respectively and a plurality of apertures 17 and 18 are formed in sloping panels 13 and 14 respectively for receiving the lower portions of the packaged bottles in known manner. The bottom panel of the carrier is a composite panel formed'of bottom lap panels 19 and 20 which are foldably joined to panels 13 and 14 respectively along lines 17a and 18a which are secured together by suitable locking means in the form of a plurality of locking tabs 21 formed in outer lap panel 26 which are received within the openings defined by a plurality of retaining tabs 22 formed in inner lap panel 19. The wrapper is suitably tightened about the packaged group by machine elements which enter the tightening apertures 23 and 24 formed respectively in the lap panels 19 and 20. Thus with the package assembled so that the lap panels 19 and 2d are disposed under the package group, machine elements disposed within the tightening apertures 23 and 24 move generally toward each other and in this manner securely tighten the blank about the article group. Thereafter, the locking tabs 21 are driven through the openings defined by the respective retaining tabs 22.

For the purpose of separating the bottles in one row from the adjacent bottles in the other row at the bottom of the package, a medial keel tab 25 is foldably joined along the fold line 26 to an edge of lap panel 19 and is disposed in normal relation to the bottom la-p panels 19 and 2% when the package is formed.

For the purpose of separating the end bottles in each row from the middle bottle in the corresponding row at the bottom portions of the bottles, a pair of transverse tabs 27 are struck from the lap panel 19 and foldably joined thereto along their respective hinge lines 28. Similarly, transverse tabs 29 are struck from lap panel 20 and are hingedly connected thereto along their fold lines 30.

An insert constructed according to this invention preferably comprises a main panel 31, a plurality of cushioning tabs 32 which are foldably joinedto the main panel 31 along fold line 33 as well as a plurality of stabilizing tabs 3 also foldably joined to the main panel 31 along the fold line 33. Preferably, a plurality of notches 35 are formed along one edge of the main panel 31.

When the insert shown in FIG. 5 is inserted within .the wrapper as indicated generally in FIG. 1, the main panel 31 lies alongside the necks of the bottles in the right hand row of bottles as viewed, for example, in FIGS. 1 and 2. When so positioned the notches 35 preferably engage the necks of the bottles in the right hand row and are disposed underneath the bottle caps.

As is apparent, particularly from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the cushioning tabs 32 are disposed respectively between adjacent bottles in different rows and serve as cushioning means therebetween. Stated otherwise, the cushioning tabs 32 separate the bottles at the upper shoulder portions thereof in a manner similar to the separation of the bottles at the lower parts thereof by the cushioning panel 25.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the stabilizing tabs 34 are generally horizontally disposed and extend generally between the middle bottle in the left hand roW and each of the end bottles in that row. 'As is apparent from the drawings, the stabilizing panels 34 are particularly well adapted to prevent endwise motion of the insert relative to the open ends of a wrapper. In addition, stabilizing panels 34 tend to oppose any downward bodily movement of the insert due to the fact that they rest lightly atop the shoulders of the bottles in the left hand row of bottles as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the event that the notches 35 for any reason should become disengaged from underneath the caps of the. adjacent bottles in the right hand row, the upper edge portion of the main panel 31 which is designated in the drawings by the numeral 36 would simply abut against the inner surface of the top panel 1 and the insert would still remain secure within the package. Of course, the insert will not tend to move downwardly due to the fact that the stabilizing panels 34 tend to support the insert and also because the main panel 31 is disposed in an angular relationship to the cushioning tabs 32 as is clearly shown in FIGS.- 1 and 2. Obviously, the main panel 31 cannot slide downwardly so long as it occupies the angle depicted and there is little likelihood that the main panel 31 could ever assume a vertical position due to the interaction of the stabilizing panels 34 tending to elevate the entire insert andibecause the cushioning tabs 32 are vertically disposed and hence are retained in cushioning position at all times.

The insert is well suited to machine application without interrupting the continuous motion of the items to be packaged since it can simply be inserted from above and forced into position by suitable guides or plows.

Furthermore, it will be apparent that the insert as depicted in FIGS. 1 and employs a minimum of material such for example as paperboard. Since the insert is subjected to little, if any, tension forces at any time it may be specially constructed of material which is adapted to provide adequate cushioning action to protect the packaged bottles against breakage.

While the cushioning tabs 32 and the stabilizing tabs 34 as depicted in FIG. 1 are defined by cut lines which are generally normal to the fold line 33, it will be understood that the lines which define these tabs could be angularly disposed as depicted for example at 37 and 38 in FIG. 5.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

I claim:

1. A bottle carrier insert for cushioning bottles arranged in two rows of at least two bottles each, said insert comprising a main panel adapted for support by the necks of the bottles in one row, a plurality of cushioning tabs foldably joined to one edge of said main panel and angularly disposed relative to the plane of said main panel and arranged medially of the carrier and between adjacent bottles in different rows, and at least one stabilizing tab fold'ably joined to said one edge of said main panel between a pair of said cushioning tabs, the plane of said stabilizing tab being angularly disposed relative to the planes of said main panel and of said cushioning tabs and said stabilizing tab being positioned for support by the shoulders of a pair of adjacent bottles in the other row of bottles.

2. An insert according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of notches are formed along the edge of said main panel remote from the edge thereof to which said cushioning and said stabilizing tabs are foldably joined, said notches being opposite said cushioning tabs and being constructed to engage the necks of adjacent bottles respectively and underneath the associated bottle caps.

3. An insert for a bottle carrier according to claim 1 wherein three cushioning tabs are foldably joined to one edge of the main panel in spaced relation and wherein a pair of stabilizing tabs are foldably joined to said one edge of said main panel and wherein said stabilizing tabs are interposed between said cushioning tabs.

4. An insert according to claim 1 wherein said cushioning tabs and said stabilizing tabs are joined to said main panel along coincident fold lines.

5. An insert according to claim 1 wherein said cushioning tabs are substantially vertically disposed and wherein said stabilizing tab is substantially horizontally disposed and at an obtuse angle to said main panel.

6. A 'blank for a bottle carrier insert comprising a generally rectangular main panel, a plurality of cushioning tabs foldably joined in spaced relation along one edge of said main panel, a plurality of stabilizing tabs foldably joined to said one edge of said main panel and disposed respectively in the spaces between said cushioning tabs, and a plurality of notches formed in the edge of said main panel which is opposite said one edge, said notches being directly opposite said cushioning tabs.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 652,776 11/1962 Canada.

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,077,047 4/ 1937 Kondolf. 2,415,218 2/1947 Rhodes et 211. 2,427,105 9/ 1947 Houle. 3,108,414 10/1963 Schleicher et al. 3,157,309 11/1964 Chidsey et a1.

THERON E. CONDON,P1-imary Examiner.

I. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner. 

6. A BLANK FOR A BOTTLE CARRIER INSERT COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR MAIN PANEL, A PLURALITY OF CUSHIONING TABS FOLDABLY JOINED IN SPACED RELATION ALONG ONE EDGE OF SAID MAIN PANEL, A PLURALITY OF STABILIZING TABS FOLDABLY JOINED TO SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID MAIN PANEL AND DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY IN THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID CUSHIONING TABS, AND A PLURALITY OF NOTCHES FORMED IN THE EDGE OF SAID MAIN PANEL WHICH IS OPPOSITE SAID ONE EDGE, SAID NOTCHES BEING DIRECTLY OPPOSITE SAID CUSHIONING TABS. 